New GM prepares for coming semester

Hello, RPI. I am writing today as the 147th Grand Marshal. I am excited to start this next term off and am hoping to get started as soon as possible.

First off, about myself. I am a sophomore chemical engineering student. I was actually born in Troy and grew up in Niskayuna—not too far from here. I was previously the Class of 2014 president, and I intend to stay involved with my great class council. The reason why I have worked so hard to become the next Grand Marshal is because RPI truly has great potential to be one of the best schools out there. Student government is the best way to improve our student experience, and I hope that with my leadership and goals, the Student Senate will be able to accomplish many things this upcoming year.

As for my goals overall and what I plan to see from the Senate going onwards, I want to make it very clear to students that student government is open to everyone. This means that the recently elected senators will be open to everyone and proactively reaching out, engaging students, and inquiring about their opinions about RPI. Senate committees (the most important part of the Senate) are also open and available to any student. I hope that we can open up more pathways for communication, which will encourage students to get involved. By doing this, the Senate will have a voice. We will know what students are thinking, thereby being able to bring agendas to the administration.

Overall, I have my work cut out for me. I’ve already reached out to past senators, chairs, and faculty that work closely with the Grand Marshal. It is important to know where the past Senate left off, and even learn a few things about what to do and what not to do. There is a lot that will need to be done during these final weeks of school (mostly internal framework and appointments). We need to take care of this before we begin to tackle student issues and projects. Everyone has been so nice to me so far in offering me help, ensuring that we have a smooth transition between the terms.

Most importantly, I am extremely excited to begin working with the 43rd Student Senate! We have a great bunch of students, and a few new faces to Senate (including mine, of course). I consider myself very lucky to be able to work with them in the upcoming year, many of whom I’ve had previous experiences with. There is a lot to do these last few weeks, and I am fully confident that we will all work well together so that we can get everything done.

Those that are reading this article and feel like making a difference, let me know! My e-mail is gm@rpi.edu. If you are driven to make a change here at RPI, then I encourage you to get involved. We need people that are dedicated to making a positive change based on the needs of the student body; that’s what Senate is all about.

My office will always be open to students, I will try to keep the door open whenever I am in. If you want to stop by and let me know what’s on your mind, raise questions, comments, and concerns, I will be available. Once I am more settled, I can say when exactly I’ll be in.

For now, I look forward to meeting everyone, and I am very excited to be your new GM.